"Hey, Sora," Selphie greeted, waving to the spiky-haired boy as he pulled his boat into the island's dock.
"Hey, Selphie," Sora replied as he climbed out and tied his boat to the dock. "What's up?"
"Oh, nothing much. Tidus and Wakka are off doing their own thing, so I thought I'd just hang out here for a bit and daydream."
"Daydream? About what?" Sora asked while raising an eyebrow.
"Well," she began while looking him in the eye. "Have you heard about the legendary power of the paopu fruit?"
"I've heard a little," Sora shrugged, thinking back to that joke Riku had pulled on him the previous night.
"They say if you share it with someone you really care for, it binds you together forever and ever through eternity!" She smiled while clasping her hands together and sighing dreamily. "It's so romantic. I've gotta try it sometime."
"Yeah…" Sora folded his arms in contemplation. "That sounds about like what I heard." The boy had been thinking about what Riku had told him the previous day. It was no secret between the two boys that they were both into Kairi. So, did that mean that Riku wanted to try it with her? If so, then why did he tell Sora? Did he just think the younger boy wouldn't have the guts to go for it?
"Hey, are you okay?" Selphie asked in concern.
"Hm? Oh! Yeah, I'm good," Sora reassured her, rubbing the back of his head and smiling awkwardly. "Just thinking about some stuff." Selphie looked at him for a moment in suspicion before her eyes lit up, and she smiled cheekily.
"You were thinking of trying it on someone right now, weren't you?" said the brunette. "And I bet I can guess who."
"Huh?" Sora's cheeks flushed a little as he unfolded his arms and looked at Selphie nervously. "W-what do you mean?"
"Oh, nothing," Selphie replied while turning away from him with a wider grin. "On an 'unrelated' note, Riku and Kairi are at the cove out back." She pointed towards the door at the far end of the seashore with her thumb.
"Alright, thanks," Sora responded before running off. As he ran, Sora couldn't help but wonder why he'd never heard of this legend before. His best guess is that the topic never really came up since he hadn't put that much thought into romance and just hung out with his friends. Still, now that they were getting older, he knew that he'd have to start thinking about this stuff someday soon. This was especially true if he ever wanted to get with Kairi.
He didn't get much more time to think of it when he pushed open the door and reached the island's cove. The place consisted of an obstacle course that the adults had built when they were younger, along with all the other places on the small island. There was a somewhat broken bridge that had a number of gaps for them to jump, a zip-line, a patch of coconut trees, and a cave entrance high up that was marked with a star-shaped sign on a tree.
"Hey, Sora," greeted Riku. Sora turned around to see his best friend/rival standing by the edge of the retaining wall near the door. "About time you got here."
"Sorry," Sora apologized, rubbing the back of his head and smiling nervously. "My mom had some chores that she wanted me to get done before I got here."
"Hmph," Riku chuckled. "If we pull it off with the raft, we won't be worrying about chores for quite some time."
"Can't wait for that," Sora replied while putting his hands behind his head as usual.
Normally, one might not have expected their parents to be okay with their children building a raft so that they could sail to unknown lands. But Sora, Riku, and Kairi had all had nautical training drilled into their heads for as long as they could remember. So the adults knew they could be trusted over water. Also, none of their parents believed that the three would be able to get very far before finding their way back to either the main island or the other ones nearby. That's just how small this world was. They were so confident, they even agreed to not ground them if they actually made it off world.
But Riku had been so determined to get out that he concocted the whole plan to go out and prove their parents wrong. He was convinced by Kairi's initial arrival on the main island that traveling to other worlds by sea was somehow possible. Sora wasn't entirely convinced, but he was still willing to give it a shot just for fun.
"That reminds me," Riku said as he folded his arms and cupped his chin. "Our raft still needs a name."
"Oh yeah!" Sora exclaimed as he lowered his hands and widened his eyes in realization. "Every great ship needs a cool name."
"Exactly," Riku agreed. "Let's see…" After a few moments, his eyes lit up as an idea came to mind. "How about Highwind?" Sora tilted his head and raised an eyebrow.
"But it's a raft," Sora argued. "Highwind sounds more like a name you'd give to something that flies."
"Well, what would you call it?" Riku retorted, folding his arms again.
"Let me think." Sora pondered for a moment, holding a finger to his head. What was a name that sounded really cool? After a moment, Sora smiled as a name he always loved came to mind. "We should name it Excalibur."
"Really?" Riku deadpanned, putting his hands on his hips. "At least my name sounds like something that moves. You just named it after the sword from that old fairy tale."
"Excalibur can work," Sora insisted. "Like how our raft will 'cut' across the seas."
"Sounds a bit iffy to me," Riku retorted before a wry smile grew on his face. "Hey, how 'bout…"
"The usual?" Sora replied with a knowing smirk, already getting himself fired up.
"Let's do it." Riku agreed, taking one step forward in anticipation.
"You guys are at it again?" Kairi's voice came from behind. The two boys turned to see their redheaded friend crossing the raised platforms (that were once a single bridge). The girl had an amused smirk on her face as she shook her head. "All right, I'll be the judge."
"Thanks, Kairi," Sora waved to her, the girl nodding in return.
"The usual rules apply," Kairi announced as she took her position aside from her two friends. "Take any route that you want. First one to tag the tree with a star and make it back here wins." The two boys nodded as they got into position near the end of the retaining wall.
"You know, how about we raise the stakes a bit?" Riku asked with a smirk.
"Oh yeah," Sora asked with intrigue. "Well then… If I win, I'm captain! And if you win... "
"I get to share the paopu with Kairi," Riku interrupted without even turning to look at Sora.
"Huh?" Sora's eyes popped wide open in shock. His heart nearly stopped as Riku's words hit him.
"Deal?" Riku asked as he looked at Sora with a grin. "The winner gets to share a paopu with Kairi."
"Wha… Wait a minute…" Sora protested as he tried to process that proposal.
"Okay. On my count," Kairi announced from the other side of the retaining wall. It didn't seem that she'd heard them. "3…"
Sora's current tally against Riku popped into his head. He hadn't beaten Riku at anything in a long time.
"2"
Heck! The last time Sora had actually managed to beat him at something, it had been in a game of cards!
"1"
No! There was no way he'd let Riku get away with this! Sora quickly got into position.
"Go!" Sora and Riku broke out into a run as they both made a beeline for the broken bridge. Sora managed to take the lead, silently begging his legs not to fail him now. He leaped across the first gap in the bridge and headed for the next. But just as he got ready to leap, the wood gave way underneath him.
"Aah!" Sora yelled as he fell all the way into the waist-deep seawater below.
"Sora!?" both of his friends yelled in unison. Riku stopped momentarily and looked down the gap, while Kairi rushed over to check on him. "Are you okay!?" Kairi called out.
"Y-yeah," Sora groaned as he stood up and shook the water from his head. "I'll be okay."
"Good to know," Riku replied, immediately breaking into a run again.
"Wha—hey wait!" Sora protested.
"What? Giving up already?" Riku yelled back as he ran. Sora clenched his fist and growled. Looking to the right, he could see a set of stairs just past the waters, but it would've taken way too long for him to wade over there. So he decided to try something that neither he nor Riku had done in a race before. He grabbed onto the bridge support in front of him and hauled his body out of the water. Keeping up his momentum, Sora leaped to the next support on his right, grabbing the support above it and quickly twisting his body around. He then used all his strength to rapidly climb back to the top of the bridge.
"Whoo! Go, Sora!" Kairi cheered, waving her arm excitedly. Wasting no time, Sora continued where he'd left off and charged after Riku. He managed to spot his silver-haired rival halfway up the ladder to the zip line. It seemed that Kairi's cheer had gotten his attention, and he was staring at Sora, slightly dumbfounded by what he saw.
Sora silently thanked Kairi as he finished crossing the bridge. Riku seemed to snap out of his bewilderment and continue climbing up the ladder. Sora had done this race against Riku enough times to know that there was no way he'd be able to catch up using the ladder. Once his opponent used that zip line, it wouldn't be coming back on its own. So he ran right past the zip line and jumped over the tiny cliff onto the small beach below.
As he passed the completed raft, Sora heard the sound of the zip-line in use. Looking up, he saw Riku pass him and reach the tower at the end of the line. From there, he'd be able to jump across the coconut trees and reach the star. Sora remembered what was at stake and pushed himself into another full sprint. He reached the uphill trail and ran to the rocks above as fast as his legs would carry him.
Riku was still carefully jumping from tree to tree as Sora reached the top and started leaping across rocks. The younger boy almost failed the third jump but stumbled his way to the star on the tree that marked his progress. Riku landed right next to him, mere microseconds behind. His sudden appearance startled Sora enough to make him stumble back.
"W-whoa!" Sora yelled as he stumbled onto the edge of the rocky column. Riku immediately leaned forward and caught Sora by the hand before he could fall over the edge, potentially hitting his head. He then yanked the younger boy in, causing him to stumble forward, flailing his free arm wildly. As he went, Sora's right hand managed to inadvertently tag the star sign, causing it to briefly light up. "Phew! Thanks Riku—Hey!" Riku immediately pushed Sora aside and partway into the cave entrance as he tagged the star for himself and leaped onto the nearest coconut tree.
Growling in frustration, Sora chased after him, leaping onto the nearest treetop, right behind Riku. He then tried to jump to the next one, but his overeagerness got the best of him again as he misplaced one foot.
"Whah!" Sora yelled as he fell forward. He managed to catch himself on the trunk of the next coconut tree ahead. His weight continued pulling him down, and Sora slid down the trunk, hitting the sandy ground below. Not wanting to waste any time trying to get back up the tree, Sora made a mad dash for the small cliff that he'd used earlier.
'Come on, Sora,' he silently urged himself. 'Just this once. Just win this once!"
He jumped, vaulted up the tiny cliff, and tumbled onto the higher ground. Sora quickly got back on his feet and ran for the broken bridge. It seemed Riku's careful jumps had gotten him to this point at the same time as Sora. Both boys put all the energy they could muster into running across the bridge again.
Seeing her friends approaching, Kairi stood at the end of the bridge so that she could keep an eye out for whoever crossed first. Riku was in the lead, then it was Sora, then Riku, and...
"YES!" Sora cried out as he managed to pass Riku at the last second and cross the end of the broken bridge first.
"Sora is the winner!" Kairi cried out jubilantly, clapping her hands.
"Yeah!" Sora shouted happily. "Now the score's 12 to… 1…" His excitement withered as he finished that last sentence. Riku was otherwise still way ahead of him.
"Better watch out, Riku," Kairi chimed in, putting her hands behind her back and leaning forward with her signature smile as she stood next to her spiky-haired friend. "Sora might catch up quicker than you think. Right?"
Sora wasn't sure if Kairi was being genuine or just trying to make him feel better. But one look at that cute smile of hers, and those insecure thoughts started evaporating away. It also reminded Sora about what he might've just won and caused the blood to rush to his cheeks. Kairi quirked an eyebrow as she stood straight again.
"Hey, are you okay, Sora?" she asked. Sora quickly shook his head in an effort to get a hold of himself and try to steer the topic away from what he'd been thinking.
"Uh—Yeah!" Sora stammered, scratching the back of his head nervously. "Y-you see, uh..."
"Man, lighten up," Riku deadpanned. "It's just a name, after all. Congratulations. Our raft's name is Excalibur."
"Huh?" Sora looked at Riku in disbelief. Then the meaning behind his words sank in. 'Wait. Was he? Was he just messing with me!?'
"Oh…" Kairi drawled. "So that's what it was about this time. Well, great work anyway, Sora." She turned back to the bridge, only to give him a smile. "See? I told you that you could beat him again. I'm going to head back to the raft for a special project of mine. Meet me over there when you're ready to gather more supplies."
"Sure." Sora nodded and watched as Kairi left. Once she was out of earshot, Sora glared at Riku and approached him. "Don't tell me…"
"Oh, the paopu thing?" Riku asked in feigned innocence. "It was just a joke. You should have seen your face." He broke out a chuckle at Sora's expense.
"Not funny, Riku," Sora warned.
"Okay, okay." Riku waved his hands apologetically. "Sorry about that. I couldn't resist. Still, even if I were serious, you think you would've gone through with it?"
"Well, ye—," Sora stopped himself as he started to question his actions. He knew that if there was anyone he'd want to try something like that with, it was Kairi. But would she feel the same? Sora's hesitance got Riku to shake his head with a smirk.
"Not so sure, huh?" Riku asked. "Well then, maybe I should give it a shot." Sora stiffened at that comment. While he loved Kairi, Sora was also aware that Riku had feelings for her too. In fact, many of their past competitions had been attempts by the both of them to impress her (though they'd never tell her that).
"N-no!" Sora finally protested. "I can do it! Just not right now."
"Alright," Riku shrugged. "I'd say you've earned some extra time for that. But if she says no, or you take too long, then I'm asking her."
Sora clenched his fist in frustration. Would Kairi really pick Riku over him? Everyone else who was in on their shared crush had always seemed confident that that would be the case. After all, Riku was confident, smart, and pretty much the best when it came to most things among the teen islanders.
No. Sora pushed those thoughts aside. He would ask Kairi about sharing the paopu fruit. With Riku's warning adding pressure, he might've had to do it before setting sail on the raft. He just hoped that things would go well for him.
Things were not going well for Team RWBY, especially not for Yang. During the first match of the singles round in the Vytal Festival Tournament, she got them disqualified. The whole world saw Yang attack and injure her opponent after the match was already over, but she was insistent that he attacked her first and she was just defending herself. The rest of Team RWBY had reassured Yang that they believed her before leaving her to rest in their dorm. Their friends in Team JNPR had already offered their condolences and support in case Yang or any of them needed anything. Now, Ruby, Weiss, and Blake were walking the dormitory halls with the recent events weighing on their minds.
"So, Blake," Weiss began quietly as the three of them continued walking. "Would you mind if I ask something?"
"Sure," Blake answered.
"That friend that you talked about back at our dorm?" Weiss paused to check that the coast was clear before continuing. "You were talking about Adam, weren't you?"
"Adam?" asked Ruby before realization dawned on her. "Oh yeah! Blake's old partner/mentor." Both Weiss and Blake stopped in their tracks and looked at Ruby in surprise.
"Wait," Blake asked in confusion. "You know about Adam?"
"Come on," Ruby snickered, waving her hand dismissively. "Did you really think I couldn't hear that conversation you all had back at Mountain Glenn? I wasn't that far away." The black- and white-haired members of Team RWBY slightly cringed in embarrassment.
"Well, anyway," Blake said, trying to steer the conversation back on track. "Yeah. That's who I was talking about back there. I really don't want to get much more into him, though." She hugged her arm uncomfortably while glancing aside. "Let's just say that he's not someone I want any of you to meet anytime soon." Ruby felt a pang in her chest as she thought back to what Blake had said in the dorm.
"Were you…" Ruby slightly stammered. "Did you really think that Yang might be starting to become like him?" Blake's eyes softened in shame.
"Ruby…" Blake put her hand on her silver-eyed leader's shoulder. "It's not that I believed she was. I was just scared of reliving my past. But trust me, Yang is no Adam. And I don't believe that she'll ever become a monster like him."
Even if it had initially stung, Ruby could understand her teammate's position. But after hearing that bit of reassurance, Ruby's hand instinctively reached for the pouch on her belt, where she kept an old family keepsake. It was part of a set, and Yang had the other one. They were supposed to symbolize the unbreakable bond between the two sisters. After a moment, she felt a smile return to her face as she nodded.
"Thanks, Blake," said Ruby.
"Besides," Weiss joined in with a confident smile, "even if we do see any signs of that sort of thing happening, I'm sure that we'll be able to pull her back from that kind of darkness." The Schnee heiress gently rubbed a hand on the back of her neck as her smile slightly lessened. "After all, you did the same thing with me."
The other two girls nodded, knowing that Weiss was talking about the time when a Nightmare Grimm had possessed her. While she still couldn't remember anything from when she was under that parasite's influence, Weiss had made an effort to change since then and make up for all the trouble that she'd caused. She could still be a little icy and critical, but she had definitely warmed up to her teammates since that (for lack of a better term) nightmare.
"Thanks, girls," Ruby replied as she continued down the hall with her teammates behind her.
...
The three members of Team RWBY tried to keep to themselves as they walked through the festival fairgrounds. But, no matter where they went, they could still hear people badmouthing Yang and/or worrying about the increased Grimm activity outside the city of Vale. As they traveled, Weiss couldn't help but overhear one conversation that stood out from the others.
"—just blinked out last night," said a nervous teen with rabbit ears on top of his head. "That makes three stars going out this past week. Feels almost like a bad omen."
Weiss frowned at this. As someone who liked to be informed on all the latest news, she had already seen a recent article or two on her scroll about the strange phenomenon that'd been occurring in the nightly sky. It had mostly been drowned out by everything related to the Vytal Festival; no surprise there. It was typical for the biggest celebratory event in the world to be given much higher priority by the media.
"It seems there's not much positivity going around right now," Weiss finally thought aloud. "Hopefully, things will just blow over after tonight's matches."
"I hear that," Ruby agreed. "Unless a storm that's 'pointless to explain' comes." Weiss quirked an eyebrow at her leader/partner's attempt to deepen her voice during that last sentence.
"Excuse me?" asked the Schnee heiress.
"She's talking about the robed man that we ran into yesterday," Blake explained.
"Ah. I see." Weiss accepted her faunus friend's explanation. She and Yang had both been informed by their dark-haired teammates of the strange and ominous encounter. "Have either of you heard back from Ozpin since you told him about this mystery man?" Both Ruby and Blake shook their heads in disappointment.
"He told me that General Ironwood sent someone to search for the guy, but I haven't heard anything since then," Ruby answered dejectedly before growling and gripping her head in frustration. "Okay, there's gotta be something positive that we can talk about!"
"Perhaps playing any number of the various games that are available on the fairgrounds would cheer you up?" Penny asked from right next to Ruby.
"AAAAH! PENNY!" Ruby yelled, leaping into Weiss's arms in a cartoonish manner. The three members of Team RWBY gawked at the sight of the green-eyed, orange-haired girl who had suddenly appeared next to them. "When did you get here!? And is that robe guy related to you?"
"What robe guy?" Penny asked, tilting her head in confusion. Weiss's arms struggled as Ruby continued to cling onto her like a lifeline. But the young Schnee wasn't about to stand for this.
"Um, well—OOF!" Ruby didn't have a chance to finish as Weiss proceeded to dump her on the ground with an annoyed glare.
"Do try to maintain your composure, Ruby," Weiss chastised. She then looked at the newcomer, instantly switching from a scowl to a cheerful smile. "It's good to see you again, Penny. As for our leader's question, she was just referring to your… interesting ability to sneak up on people."
"Greetings, Weiss and Blake," replied Penny with a wave of her hand. "I simply approached as soon as I saw you three talking to each other."
"Penny," called another voice. Everyone looked to see a dark-skinned girl in a blue beret, a white button-down shirt, and a blue combat skirt. She folded her arms, clad in fingerless, elbow-length gloves, as she stared at Penny disapprovingly. "Don't wander off so casually, ma'am. We can only afford to spend so much time at this location."
"Hi, Ciel," Ruby waved. "Girls, I guess you've seen Penny's partner in the tournament."
Ciel looked at the other two members of Team RWBY with a quick nod and immediately turned her attention back to Penny. "If you wish to experience much more of these festivities, we should keep social visits to a minimum."
'There's that strict, militant discipline that I've come to expect from Atlas,' Weiss thought derisively. She wasn't sure whether this sort of attitude was better or worse than the frightful and/or hateful looks they'd been getting from other people so far. But it did remind her why she'd chosen Beacon over Atlas for training as a huntress.
"Would you mind if I just have a minute to talk with my friend and her teammates?" Penny asked her partner. Ciel paused, eyeing each of them, before she started doing something with her watch.
'Is she seriously setting a timer for one minute?' Weiss silently asked herself. She was all for being professional, but this was a bit much. It almost made the girl come across like a robot.
"Perhaps two minutes?" Penny asked, causing Ciel to pause again and eye the other girl with an unreadable expression. After a few more seconds than before, she made some adjustments to her watch and nodded, stepping away from the group of four.
"The teachers at Atlas must love her," Weiss said in the most polite manner that she could.
"Are you sure that you're one to talk?" Blake quietly snarked with folded arms.
"Wha—!?" Weiss quietly stammered. "I was never that bad, was I?" Her reaction earned a smirk from the secret faunus and a giggle from both Penny and Ruby.
"So, anyway," Ruby giggled as she turned to the orange-haired girl. "What brings you here, Penny?"
"Oh, I was hoping to experience some more of the festivities before tonight's solo matches," Penny answered in her usual chipper tone. However, her face soon shifted to one of concern. "I was also hoping to check on you." She clasped her hands together nervously before continuing. "Is your sister doing well… enough?" Weiss figured a question like that was inevitable, while Ruby sighed.
"I guess she could be doing worse," Ruby admitted, staring down in dejection. "She's resting back at our dorm. Now's really not a good time for her to be out and about, you know?"
"That is too bad," Penny stated sadly. "But I am at least glad that she wasn't locked in a cell or something similar."
"Thanks, Penny," Ruby responded. After a moment, she lifted her head back up and shrugged. "You mentioned playing some games?" Penny's eyes lit up at that question.
"Oh, certainly! I have found a line of such amusements not too far from here. Perhaps they could help take your mind off your troubles for a bit." After pausing for a moment, Ruby shrugged.
"Sure. That sounds like a good idea," Ruby replied before turning to her teammates. "You two were heading to one of the drink stands, right?"
"We'll be fine," Weiss assured her. "Go on ahead." Ruby waved goodbye until Penny practically dragged her towards the nearest game stands, Ciel following after them.
"Oh!" Penny gasped as they walked. "Yesterday, you wanted to know how my Floating Array works, correct?" Weiss could hear the two discussing the topic until they disappeared from sight.
"Shall we?" Weiss finally asked her secretly cat-eared friend.
"Sure," Blake replied as they began searching for any stand that served both coffee and tea. As they walked, the Schnee heiress couldn't help but think back to what they'd previously spoken about.
"Um, Blake?" Weiss asked.
"Hm?"
"I was just wondering about the man that you and Ruby saw yesterday," she replied. "What exactly did he say to you again?"
"Well," Blake answered, "at first, he was just staring at the fountain in Beacon's courtyard, specifically the Beowolf statue. He said something about 'this world having its own creatures of darkness.'"
"With that phrasing," Weiss cupped her chin, "it almost sounds like he wasn't from this world."
"Are you suggesting that Ruby and I encountered an alien?" Blake raised an eyebrow. "That sounds a little crazy."
"Well, of course it's crazy," Weiss retorted. She then sighed and waved her hand dismissively. "Never mind. What about this storm that he mentioned? Do you think it has anything to do with last night's incident?" Blake paused in thought for a moment, but ultimately shook her head.
"I don't know. But I honestly hope we never hear from that man again."
"And… that should do it," said Sora as he finished filling the big water bottle that Kairi had given him. He knew that the waterfall by the seaside shack would be the perfect place to get some freshwater for their upcoming journey. After finishing the race and meeting up with Kairi, Sora had gone about helping with the last part of their preparations: food. He'd already gotten most of the stuff on the list that Kairi had given him. At the moment, all that was left was to bring this bottle of water back to Kairi, along with getting some mushrooms.
"What's happening, man?" shouted a familiar, accented voice.
"Hey, Wakka," Sora waved to his old friend. Wakka was standing by the pond and carrying his blitzball as usual. "Just getting some supplies for my big adventure with Riku and Kairi."
"Oh yeah," Wakka responded. "That's right, you three are goin' on that crazy journey together." He scratched his head nervously before continuing. "You really sure that you can get to other worlds by sea?"
"Well, like Riku said, Kairi came here the same way," Sora replied. "So we might as well try. You sure that you and the others don't want to come with." Wakka seemed to shudder at Sora's offer and waved it off.
"Nah, Man. But thanks anyway. To tell you the truth, I'm scared of leavin' here. What if you never find a way back?"
"We'll be back," Sora said with confidence. "You can count on it."
"Well, I'm gonna stick around where I don't have to worry about meeting my maker," said Wakka. "But me and Tidus are actually gonna do a little explorin' of our own today."
"Oh yeah?" Sora asked, feeling intrigued. Wakka nodded and pointed at some bushes by the giant tree.
"You know, to the secret place at the base of that tree. There's gotta be something there, ya?"
"You mean the cave where we used to scribble all over the walls?" Sora asked, tilting his head in confusion. "But we've already been in there plenty of times."
"Maybe," Wakka replied. "But we're hopin' to find a way to the top of the tree. Just imagine what the view will be like from there."
Sora guessed that Wakka had a point there. Still, something like that didn't hold a candle to seeing new worlds. He and Riku had been dreaming of seeing whole new places for as long as they could remember. They'd wondered what crazy stuff was out there: bustling cities, giant creatures, and all sorts of incredible adventures. There was no way that they were passing up a chance for that. Even so, these islands would always be home, so Sora could still understand not wanting to leave them.
"Well, good luck, Wakka," said Sora. "I still need to finish getting ready for my adventure with Riku and Kairi."
"Sure thing, man," Wakka replied as he tossed his blitzball in the air and caught it. "Till Tidus finishes up his practice, I'm gonna work on my own game." Sora nodded as they went their separate ways.
After putting a cork on the large bottle, Sora went through his mental list. If he was right, then the only thing left for him to do was get some more mushrooms. Those would probably be growing somewhere with a lot of shade. His thoughts drifted back to the conversation that he'd just had, and he realized that the secret place was the perfect spot to look.
After putting the water aside, Sora headed over to the bundle of bushes where the cave entrance was and made his way inside. After walking through a tunnel with a twisting tree root running along the ceiling, Sora soon reached the cave.
It was just as he remembered it. There were doodles left all over the walls and big rocks that lay throughout the rocky chamber that he stood in. He could also see a few trees that had grown and broken out through the rocky ceiling. All the light came in through an opening near the tunnel that Sora had just come in through. However, the most peculiar part of this cave definitely had to be the weird door at the end.
Nobody knew who put it there, not even the adults back on the main island. But this mysterious door had been in this cave for as long as any of them could remember. Its top was curved, like an oval, and it had a golden lining that curled in an ornate sort of way at the top. The weirdest part of all was the fact that there was no visible knob or hinge on the thing.
Out of nostalgic curiosity, Sora walked up to the door and gave it a couple of knocks. Just as he expected, he could hear the hollowness that let him know that it still led somewhere.
'Same as always,' Sora thought to himself. 'I still wonder where this door leads...' Riku and he had made a wild guess when they were younger that it might lead to another world. But that idea seemed so ridiculous now.
Deciding to shrug it off, Sora got back to looking for mushrooms. He ended up not having to look far because he found quite a few of them nearby. He immediately got to work picking them when his eyes landed on the cave drawing right above them. It was a sight that Sora could never forget.
Scratched onto the wall in front of him were some old drawings of both his face and Kairi's. The two faces were each drawn so differently that it was obvious two different people had etched them. Sora placed a hand on the drawing of Kairi as a small smile formed on his face. He could still remember the day when he'd made this.
Back then, it had been nearly a year since Kairi mysteriously washed ashore on the main island. Riku had to stay home for some family business, so Sora and she had come to this cave on their own. She had drawn a picture of him while he'd drawn a picture of her. If he was being honest with himself, Kairi's drawing was much better than his. But she still seemed to love his work.
Sora's thoughts turned back to his previous conversation with Riku. If Kairi ended up choosing the latter over him, he wanted her to be happy. But even still, she'd always been there for him whenever he needed her, and he'd done as best as he could to return the favor. Her cute smile, her kindness, and even the way she'd get onto him for messing up; there was nobody else that Sora could see himself with.
Sighing wistfully, Sora ended up grabbing the sharpest rock that he could find nearby and scratching something new onto the old cave drawing. It started with a cartoonish-looking arm that curved away from his own head and towards Kairi's. After putting a few fingers on the end, he scratched a star into the hand as perfectly as he could.
When it was finished, Sora sat back and looked at the result. The cave drawing now showed him offering a paopu to Kairi. He was ready to just take in what he'd done when he suddenly sensed movement nearby.
"Wha-Who's there?" Sora called out, standing up. A strange man in a brown robe stood just outside the shadows on the opposite side of the cave.
"I've come to see the door to this world," said the robed man in a very deep voice.
"Huh?" Sora asked in confusion.
"This world has been connected."
"Wh-What are you talking about?"
"Tied to the darkness... Soon to be completely eclipsed."
"Well, whoever you are, stop freaking me out like this," Sora demanded. This guy was seriously giving him the creeps. Then it suddenly hit Sora that he hadn't heard so much as a footstep until this guy was already standing in that shadowy corner. "Huh? W- Where did you come from?"
"You do not yet know what lies beyond the door," the man responded ominously.
'Beyond the door?' Sora wondered. His eyes wandered to the mysterious door on his right. 'Wait! 'Come to see the door to this world?'' The pieces clicked in his mind as Sora looked at the robed man in shock.
"So you're from another world!" he declared with a wide gesture of his hand. The robed man seemed to regard Sora with pitiable amusement.
"There is so very much to learn. Like her, you understand so little."
"Oh yeah?" Sora retorted, his earlier chill giving way to offense. "Well, you'll see. I'm gonna get out and learn what's out there! Wait. 'Her?'"
"A meaningless effort," the hooded man retorted. "Those who know nothing can understand nothing."
'Geez, who spat in this guy's drink?' Sora wondered to himself. He frowned and turned his gaze to the door. His curiosity over what was behind it grew, but so did a huge sense of dread. He turned back to where the man was, only to glare at an empty space. He quickly looked back to the tunnel and everywhere else in sight, but there was still no sign of that robed creep. 'What the heck?'
Sora took one more look around to make sure that he was alone before examining the door for any changes. As far as he could tell, there was nothing out of the ordinary. How did that guy even get in the cave? Could he have just imagined all that? Part of him wanted to think so, but another was telling him that it was very real.
Sora thought about telling everyone about the scary robe guy but quickly realized that nobody would likely believe him. Then he remembered the "her" part of what that guy said. Could one of the girls have seen him?